Jonathan Soto, motivated by the love of his family and driven by his faith, launched Kids Slime Club to encourage and support the well-being of kids in his community. As a child, he witnessed the importance of community engagement and the value of working together to achieve goals. Born and raised in West Covina to a family that always modeled an entrepreneurial spirit, Jonathan learned to succeed by finding his passion.
He attended San Diego State University on a full scholarship earned from his prominent years as a football player at Bishop Amat High School. Once in college his passion started to evolve, he sold designer clothing to all the football players to earn extra money. Soon after, his desire to create his own clothing line became his future goal.
After graduating with honors and numerous athletic and academic awards, life took a pleasant twists and Jonathan was back in his old stomping ground coached football at Bishop Amat High School…..but he never gave up his dream of starting his own enterprise.
A key moment came at a 2020 New Year’s getaway weekend in Big Bear with extended family. Jonathan, a father of five children, brought up the idea of coming together and starting some sort of family-owned venture. Input during the open discussion led to a lifestyle type of business that would have a positive brand carrying an uplifting message for children. The group envisioned bringing together fashion, faith and family values. Energy flowed so well that Jonathan and his family started charting a course and set a launch date for March 2020.
They began planning and making sure the business was on solid footing. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit with stay at home orders shutting down schools, sports, and playgrounds. Shockwaves of fear rippled through West Covina, all of Los Angeles County, and across the nation disrupting the play and social lives of children. Jonathan, like so many other parents, became concerned with the lack of physical activity, social integration and confinement tolerance affecting our kids. He saw an opportunity to make an impact and with the support of his family, Kids Slime Club was created and set to launch in July of 2021.
The appeal of Kids Slime Club is encouraging imagination, and while the recipe process can be a bit messy playing with slime is beneficial for kids. Not only is it an amazing, tactile sensory experience, it also promotes mindfulness, helps children to focus, encourages them to play independently, promotes fine motor skills, and it’s soothing.
Kids Slime Club offers weekly workshops in local parks to kids ages 3 to 12. They get to make slime, are involved in a motivational topic like goal setting, and are directed in Zumba, obstacle courses, or other physical activity. “We keep adding value to the workshops without raising the costs,” says Jonathan. And more importantly, kids get to enjoy their own Kids Slime Club t-shirt, included in their slime making tool kit. A great take home memory of an exciting adventure. Also offered are Kids Slime Club colorful accessories, like hats and face coverings at a reasonable cost.
Kids Sime Club workshops are happening in West Covina and Phoenix, Arizona with grateful parents,
happy to find a positive outlet for their children. Jonathan was pleasantly surprised at the turnout and
feedback from parents whose children attended the workshops. Safety is important and every child is outfitted with an apron, face covering, and safety goggles for making slime. Social distancing is also followed at the tables.
On Labor Day, there were two Kids Slime Club workshops in West Covina and one was sold out with 20
children attending. Jonathan sees how the positive message is reverberating and giving kids a chance to have fun, play, and express themselves. More than anything, it was a true testimony that our community is in dire need of kid friendly social interactive activities.
